FMF 2013: Day Three of Florida Music Festival Orlando

A combination of fresh faces and reliable Orlando acts overcame at least one equipment malfunction and unseasonably chilly weather on Saturday to offer an energetic finale to the 12th Annual Florida Music Festival in downtown Orlando.

Perhaps it was the less-than-spring-like temperatures, but the crowd on Wall Street Plaza never filled more than half of the available space, even with the appealing closing-night combination of Beebs & Her Money Makers and venerable reggae-skay party outfit the Supervillains booked on the main stage.

Singer Michelle Beebs and her merrily adorned ensemble of musical "super-heroes" showcased the theatrical production that netted them a slot on this summer's Vans Warped Tour.

Augmented by hula hoops, confetti, groovy choreography, a horn section and strategically placed Kazoo-tooting, Beebs and the band offered plenty of happy visual diversions. Even better, songs such as "Hand Out" and "Miss Captain Kangaroo" mixed rock, old-school R&B and other influences with air-tight precision. It's a well-conceived package that is hard to resist.

Although less flashy, the Supervillains were a good choice to headline the closing-night party. "Let's play some music," drummer Dom Maresco shouted after the band took the stage at midnight. "We only have two hours to go."

Another highlight on Wall Street Plaza was the economically constructed, guitar-driven rock of Casey Shea.

At The Social, Orlando rock band Rug offered a performance so musically muscular that drummer C.L. Freeman broke his bass-drum pedal. With no replacement available, the drummer finished the set by kicking out the beat with his foot against the drum-head, while lead singer Jon Messeroff braced himself against the drum kit to keep it in place.

I'd suggest that the band bring along a spare next time, but the solution was so wild that it would be cool to see it again.

So-called "alt-country'' dominated the main stages on Friday at the Florida Music Festival, in a loosely themed line-up that only demonstrated how hard it is to stylistically pin down that genre's alternative side.